Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor is something more than a spectacle, it is a fight which will have a great impact on the MMA world.
On August 26, the biggest combat sports stars on the planet, Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather will lock horns in the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. However, most people don’t understand that this fight isn’t just a freak show. The fight won’t just be remembered for breaking all the PPV records and drawing the biggest gate, the money involved in the fight has simply blinded the people about the impact that can be created by the result of the match.
When McGregor will enter the fight against the greatest boxer of our generation he won’t be singularly representing himself in the fight, he will be representing the entire MMA community. Say what you want, but MMA as a sport has little recognition in terms of offering an international stage and has yet to be represented in major international sporting events. It is a sport still literally defined by one company. This fight is the biggest stage that can be offered to a mixed martial artist, the entire world will come together to watch the two mega stars compete.
As stated above MMA at the present has a very small fan following; only a few follow it. So when the world comes together, they will not only be judging McGregor as an athlete but they will also give their attention to the sport of MMA. That means this fight will act as a big catalyst to the sport. It will add plenty of international credibility to MMA and can possibly change the opinion of millions regarding the sport.
People have also foolishly dubbed that this fight has no impact in terms of the legacy of the multi-weight UFC champion and is simply a fight which will get him money. If McGregor manages to win or even put up a competitive fight against Mayweather he’ll find himself among the top 100 best athletes of this decade.
MMA is a sport with little credibility in terms of international recognition. So no matter what McGregor achieves in it, he will never find himself alongside the likes of greatest athletes of this era. Without trying to discredit his achievements, has McGregor defeated anyone whom the average sports fan knows? No. His best win is over Jose Aldo, who is one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time. However, does being the greatest of all time in a sport which is less than 25 years old as big of a deal as winning multiple Olympic medals?
If you compare the competition and the accolades McGregor has to his name to the likes of the best athletes of this decade like Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Tom Brady, Lebron James, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Serena Williams and other athletes of established sports does his achievements look that great? An honest answer is no.
However, if McGregor manages to win against one of the pound-for-pound greatest boxers of all time, he will find himself on that list. He will not only go down as one of the greatest combat sports stars ever, but he will also add an insane amount of credibility to his name. This is his chance to add validity to his achievements, this is his chance to become immortal, and this is his chance to uplift the position of an MMA fighter in the sporting world.
This is more than a money fight, this is more than about breaking PPV records and this is for sure something more than a mere spectacle.
